Vietnam War Culture Course Offered During Spring 2018 Semester

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The School of Communication Studies (COMM) will offer a course called “Seminar: Vietnam: Messages from the Cultural Divide” during the Spring 2018 semester.

COMM Associate Professor David Trebing, Ph.D., will teach the course for the third time, which will count as an upper division elective for communication students.

Trebing developed the course to examine various messages from both sides of the Vietnam War divide. The course will highlight verbal and non-verbal abstract symbols, music, film and art to cultivate a greater understanding of the history, people and persuasive messages of the war period.

“While I was in Red Horse, the United States Air Force combat construction unit for the Vietnam War, I was able to experience a lot of the cultural aspects during the time period,” Trebing said. “The course is a lot of fun for students who are curious about exploring more of the culture during the Vietnam War period that is often overlooked,” Trebing said.

Throughout the course, Trebing shows students various documentaries and movies to highlight the Vietnam War period, including “The Green Berets,” “Summer of Love,” “Easy Rider,” “Coming Home” and “Across the Universe.” The curriculum will also teach students about the peaceful hippie protests and explore Kent State’s May 4th Memorial Museum.

“”Across the Universe” is a great film to end the course with,” Trebing said. “The film starts with the American involvement in the Vietnam War in the early 1960s and also explores a lot of the great music that was a result of the war’s antics.”

The course is open to all students of any major and will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Taylor Hall. Thirty to 40 students will be able to enroll in the class. Students can use the CRN number 12287 to register for the class.